Delivering clean and safe water has always been the goal of Freeport Mayor Jodi Miller and the city government. 

With the addition of a new deep water well and water pump house on Burchard Avenue, the city

has taken great strides into turning that goal into a reality.

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“In 2015, when I was a newly elected member of the Freeport City Council, forever chemicals were
discovered near two of the city’s wells on the north side of town.” explains Jodi. “When I became mayor,
I made it our goal to improve the quality of water in Freeport. In addition to replacing over 1,000 lead
service lines throughout the community, we began to dig a new deep water well and to build a new well
house to treat our water. In 2022, we witnessed a big part of our clean water initiative come online.”
 

Jodi explains that after an extensive design and engineering phase, the city began to dig its new deep
water well alongside its new Burchard Avenue water tower.

Well #11 taps into two large limestone aquifers located 1,200 feet below the city. 

A submersible pump delivers 2 million gallons of fresh water into the newly constructed treatment plant.
 

“The new well house on Buchard Avenue is quite a facility,” says Jodi. “The design and use of corrosion
resistant stainless steel, aluminum, and high gloss epoxy will keep our maintenance costs down. The
well house is built to last for the next 100 years.”
 

When asked if the city is almost complete with its clean water initiative, Jodi says not quite. The city will
begin construction of another deep water well this year—Well #12. She explains the city’s goal is to
eventually close its 140-year-old water treatment plant on Brick Street.
 

“The people of Freeport have invested over $12 million in the redevelopment and repair of its drinking
water system over the past few years,” says Jodi. “I can’t think of a better investment than clean and

safe water for our residents.”

The $12 million well and water treatment plant project was funded through forgivable loans and grants
through the Environmental Protection Agency and through funding secured by Freeport’s US Congressman Eric Sorensen.